My present invention relates to a package for a liquid and, more particularly, to a vessel, especially a bottle containing a liquid and with advertising or decorative material in the interior of the bottle.
In packaging of liquids, for example, perfumes, beverages, cosmetics and other substances, it is important to provide advertising material and labeling which, in addition to being informative, has a decorative, aesthetic or security property. For the most part the bottle can be provided with a label with appropriate art work. It is also known in the beverage arts, for example, to include within the bottle decorative or informative substances or articles which have a relationship to the liquid which is merchandised (U.S. Pat. No. 1,842,987). For example, beverages can contain sprigs of plants which are used for flavoring the beverages, perfumes may contain reproductions of a blossom from which the perfume is obtained, etc.
By and large, however, the incorporation of such articles in the liquid which is to be used may be counter-indicated by the fact that the article itself may become contaminated or may introduce a contaminant into the liquid. That is the case, for example, when a fruit or the like is included with the liquid contents in a bottle.
As a consequence, an image of the fruit or plant may be embossed on or molded into the bottle.
All of these approaches have only a limited ability to convey a sense of the contents and to provide a decorative effect.
It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved package for liquids which is free from the drawbacks of the systems described.
Another object of this invention is to provide a package in which label contamination is minimized, the advertising and labelling information can be significantly more aesthetic than with earlier systems and which is economical, but attractive to the purchaser and user.
These objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are attained, in accordance with the invention, by providing within the bottle a hologram on a carrier foil which is sandwiched between a pair of protective foils at least one of which is transparent and through which (and through a transparent wall of the bottle of which), the hologram can be imaged.
The package of the invention which comprises a bottle and the hologram in its protective envelope, provides a durable advertising and decorative unit which, because it is directly within the liquid, affords unique properties as the hologram is displayed or viewed. The appearance of the decorative unit changes as the angle with which it is viewed changes and with changes in the direction of incident light and the nature of the light source and as a function of the liquid of the package.
According to the invention, the decorative unit is easily introduced into the bottle by rolling it up and inserting the rolled-up unit through the neck of the bottle whereupon the rolled-up unit springs open and the hologram and indicia thereon come into view.
Preferably the decorative unit comprises a carrier foil to which the hologram is applied and a pair of protective foils which are hermetically sealed and adhere to one another by an adhesive or by welding about the periphery of the carrier foil. At least one and preferably both of the protective foils are transparent.
The invention has been found to be highly advantageous when applied to a bottle containing perfume, i.e. a perfume or cologne flask, or to a beverage or deodorant bottle. The protective foils are preferably alcohol-resistant and may be composed, for example, of any of a variety of polyesters, polyethylene or polypropylene and especially polyethyleneterephthalate (PET).
The hologram can be formed by any technique and reference may be had to my copending application Ser. No. 09/741,758 filed Dec. 19, 2000, and the references cited therein and to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,937,554 and 6,073,373. The hologram unit, moreover, can float within the liquid in the bottle.